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I didn’t get a whole lot read in May. Work was nuts, and to be honest I was a bit brain dead most of the month. I’ll remedy that in June!

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

I read this on the flight to Montana. To be honest, I was a little embarrassed…I mean, that’s kind of a silly cover, and an even sillier title.

OMG WHO CARES.

This book is adorable. It’s hands down one of my favorite cozy mysteries. If you like animals, cozies, graveyards, and just fun stories, pick up this book. It’s got magic. It’s got a cat on life #7. It’s got a ghost/ectoplasmic dog. It’s FUN. Seriously, pick it up. I’ve got the second one already, so expect to see the review in June.

I was really excited about this one, and it took me forever to find. It was cute, and I’ll definitely read the next in the series (have it already too), but it paled in comparison to A Taste Fur Murder. Had I not just read that, I might have enjoyed this more. The premise here is the main character’s grandmother owns a very pet-friendly inn. Cute, but nothing special. I’ll keep reading though…..

I know several people who loved this book. Sadly, I’m not one of them.

I mean….it wasn’t totally terrible. But the characters…..ugh the characters. Not one of them was likeable. Wait. I take that back. Heather was fun. The best scene in the entire book involved Heather, Pizza Guy, and the pugs.

I thought the whole “magic phone” concept wasn’t done well – it felt like an afterthought and not actually part of the story. I didn’t care whether Georgie and what’s his face got their marriage straightened out. I really didn’t. Linda said this book was realistic and maybe she’s right….which means I don’t enjoy realistic character dramas. Shrug.

This was our book club book. Or well, our primary book club book (more on that below). I was skeptical, because I HATED Gone Girl, and this book is constantly compared to it.

In some ways, I see the comparison. The characters are pretty horrible. Seriously, I wanted to drown Rachel. The rest I didn’t care about one way or the other. And the story was a little messed up. Ok, a bit messed up. Not like Gone Girl messed up, just dark and depressing.

Where it differed though, was the mystery. I guessed Gone Girl about a hundred pages in. Two thirds of the way through Girl on the Train, I still wasn’t sure. Yeah, I eventually guessed it, but much later in the story than usual. For that, I have to give the book (and the author) props. I read a ton, so if a book keeps me guessing that’s a huge plus.

Do I think this is the rave book of the year? Not hardly. Would I recommend it? Maybe? Like Gone Girl though, I am glad I read it, if nothing else to see what all the hype was about.

Our book club started doing a primary book and a backup book a couple of months ago. When we read Montaigne, none of us could get through it. We realized we needed and wanted a second option so if that happened again, we’d still have something to talk about. We weren’t sure how it’d go, having two books, but we decided to give it a try.

May was our second month of backup books, and Blue Jeans was the choice. We thought it’d be a light beach read. Turns out, it’s neither light nor beachy….though it is set at the beach, so I suppose that’s something.

I struggled with the rating on this. It wasn’t a hard book, and it wasn’t bad. There were times I really enjoyed it. But, the story felt cliched, and the characters felt flat. The dialogue was caustic, and I just didn’t connect with any of them. It wasn’t like other books where I hated them….I just, didn’t feel anything.

That said, there were some really beautifully written passages, and the setting was incredibly vivid. If I gave half stars, this would easily be a 2.5.

Normally, this would get it’s own review. I found this book on Tomoson, and was lucky enough to snag a free copy for review. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get through it, and I feel like it fits better as part of a monthly review for that very reason.

Here’s the synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, Nick Burke has been allotted 389 square feet of living space by the government. Disease spreads quickly when people are packed together so tightly. Quarantines have been imposed in an effort to contain the spread of infection. When a quarantine is imposed on Nick’s Ground, he and his family are trapped. The only way out is to break laws that carry a penalty of death. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Nick joins forces with a local group to move to another Ground. But can he trust his new friends?

From the synopsis, this had a lot of potential. It’s also the first in a series of at least 5 books. I enjoy apocalyptic fiction, so was really looking forward to it. I’ve read many reviews that said you have to give it a while before it grabs you…that may very well be true. I wasn’t able to make it that far. I made it about four chapters in before I completely lost interest. Not just “meh, whatever, I guess I can read this,” but more like, “I’d actually rather go floss my teeth than read this book” lost interest. I don’t abandon books often, but this one made the list.

Because of that, I’m not able to give a fair review, so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt. This book has a 4.61 rating on Goodreads, which is insanely high. Yes, there are only a handful of reviews, so keep that in mind also. It may be a great story, but unfortunately, there just wasn’t anything there to grab me.

This was kind of tough, because none of these were really “wow” books…but I’ve got to go with…

April was kind of a slow month for reading. I read a couple longer books – that were great – and I finally picked up Storm of Swords again (the 3rd Game of Thrones book). I’m about 65% through it, so don’t expect it to show up anytime soon! Work has also been a bit nuts, with lots of traveling, so reading is sort of taking a back seat. May will probably be similar, but then it’ll be summer and reading time!!

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

Book 3 in the Mantra for Murder series. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first two – mostly because A.J. was kinda wishy washy in it. She kept saying that she wasn’t going to get involved in “sleuthing” and yet there she went. I don’t know, I just didn’t need her to keep pointing out that Jake the detective was going to be upset about it. And, after Book 2, I wanted more Andy!! But, at least things are shaking up a bit with the Sacred Balance Studio!

I am so sad that this is the last book in the series….or at least, the last book out. I think there might be a 5th book, but I haven’t found anything definite. The mystery in this one was a little silly, but I just adore the characters and the world and the yoga theme.

This was our April Book Club Book. We wanted something lighter, having slogged through Montaigne and All the Light. This wasn’t lighter, exactly, but it was easier.

Basically, Craig is your average 15 year old, except he suffers from depression. After getting so low he’s ready to kill himself, he ends up in the psychiatric unit at the hospital. While there (a mere 5 days) he learns to love life again and becomes a happy person.

I don’t mean to be flippant, but in a nutshell, that’s the story.

I have kind of mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I thought it was super depressing. On the other, I thought it was a great way to bring the topic of suicide and depression and mental illness into the cultural vernacular. This has been made into a movie, which I’d actually like to see. Other than that, I don’t really have a lot to say one way or the other. I think it’s one of those books that everyone will find something different in.

I debated about whether to read this right away or wait, but in the end I had to know what happened next for Celaena! This one follows Celaena as she’s serving as the King’s Champion. It’s a bit darker than Throne of Glass, and definitely more complex. There were times I got a little lost in the details, to be honest. While it’s different, I enjoyed Crown of Midnight as much as Throne of Glass, and definitely recommend the series to fans of this style of writing. The way the story ends is nice too, because she’s about to set off on a journey. It’s sort of a cliffhanger, but mostly not. It’s a nice stopping point. Book 4 is coming out in September, so I’m definitely waiting to read book 3 – I don’t want to forget what happens!

I read Water for Elephants probably 8 years ago. I remember nothing about the book except there was an elephant, a circus, someone died (maybe?) and that I really loved it. The memory of that book was enough to make me excited about Sara Gruen’s newest book, but then I read the description. The Loch Ness Monster AND Scotland? Come on, the only things missing were Atlantis and the Titanic, and it’d have been the ultimate book. (Sara, couldn’t you have worked those in there somehow?)

I’ll admit I’m a bit of a freak and will read anything even remotely connected to Atlantis or Titanic, and frankly, Nessie is pretty high on that list too. Oh, and anything with a map on the inside cover. But that’s cause I’m bizarre.

So anyway, I was super excited about At the Water’s Edge. Even seeing several lackluster reviews weren’t going to stop me.

Sadly, this book had very little about Nessie. That said, I went into it with an open mind, and was not disappointed. Gruen has written another character story…..and if you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a huge fan of well-done character novels. To me, a good book is something that resonates with me….whether that’s the world, the plot devices, or the characters, I want to connect to the story somehow.

Maddie and her husband Ellis, and their good friend Hank, venture to Scotland towards the end of WWII so Ellis can essentially redeem his family honor by proving that Nessie exists. (For the record, the book never uses the nickname – I’m just lazy and don’t feel like typing Loch Ness out every time. Gruen uses the bland, though appropriate, “monster” for most of the book.) The story is really more about Maddie, her relationships with everyone around her, and her own personal growth.

A full disclaimer – Maddie is a little hard to love at first. She’s spoiled, bratty, and pretty pathetic. What Gruen does well is take a fairly unsympathetic character and make you give her a chance. Ellis, on the other hand, is positively insufferable, and gets worse every single time you see him. That’s intentional, and though you want to punch him in the face, it’s what makes the story – and Maddie – all the more interesting.

I just barely squeaked this one in April….and actually, I think I may have technically finished it May 1st. Shhh.

I came across this series in the book store and was instantly hooked by the cover. The story is about a group of kids called “Unwanteds” – basically, their society deems them useless and sends them to be eliminated. Turns out, there’s a super awesome dude named Mr. Today who sort of doesn’t eliminate them. Instead, he takes them to his magical world where they get to learn how to be creative and happy and all that stuff. Basically, everything they did that made them Unwanted. Eventually, the other world finds out, and they go to war, and you can kinda guess the rest.

This series has been compared to Harry Potter….and I see that in some ways, but mostly I think it’s just because there’s magic. I like this series, don’t get me wrong, and I’ll keep reading it….but it’s nowhere near the quality that Harry Potter has. The characters aren’t really that meaningful. Case in point…I was most interested in what happened to Simber, the flying stone cheetah statue (that’s him on the cover).

This is written for middle-grade, so keep that in mind…but honestly? Spirit Animals is way better written.

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

This one had been on my list for a while, and after slogging through Montaigne I needed something brainless. Well, something brainless and action-filled that wasn’t a cozy. I wasn’t quite ready to keep reading Spirit Animals, so Throne of Glass it was.

First of all, I think it’s awesome that the girl on the cover looks a lot like the author.

Right? Anyway. Throne of Glass is about a girl named Celaena who’s an assassin. She’s in jail, and gets chosen by the crown prince to compete in a contest to be the king’s champion. It’s slightly reminiscent of the Hunger Games, only a little less dark and twisted.

Celaena is arrogant, and drove me a little nuts for the first half of the book. In between wanting to choke her and the author for putting in two potential love interests, I really enjoyed this. I won’t tell you much more because it’ll ruin the story for you….but this book surprised me in a really good way. I ended up loving ALL the characters, even the bad guys. Because this is the first book in a series, I kind of knew what the end result would be, but I didn’t expect anything that led up to it. And that’s rare, for a book to keep me guessing.

I debated for a long time on whether to give this a 2 or a 3. I eventually settled on a 3, just because I really didn’t have any trouble getting through it, and the story was interesting enough. This is the second in the Vintage Kitchen cozy mystery series. I enjoyed the first one, and had high hopes for the second. Honestly, though, the main character drove me nuts. She was so….ugh. She simpered. That’s honestly the best description I have for her. She was so.damn.annoying. And none of the rest of the characters did anything for me, like they did in book 1. And I got so tired of reading the same paragraphs over and over and over. I mean, come on….how many times is it necessary to say that the main character was sad she never made up with her friend? Or that she just didn’t understand what had happened? No joke, the same phrases and paragraphs were repeated at least 6 or 7 times. I wanted to scream. These books have been a bit hard to find in my bookstore, so I’ll probably pass on the rest of the series.

This book. I wanted to love it. I have a thing for anything even remotely like Atlantis. Granted, this book isn’t, but the title hooked me. Bay and Rio are twin sisters living in Atlantia on the Ocean Floor. (Seriously, Bay and Rio?? Wtf.) Anyway, when they reach a certain age they get to choose whether to stay below or go above. Rio has always wanted to go above, but promises Bay she’ll stay below with her. Well, then Bay decides to go above. Because of the rules, Rio has to stay without Bay. Blargh.

This book is roughly 300 pages long, and the first 200 pages all Rio does is complain about her life and how her sole purpose is now figuring out how to get above because it should have been her but she loves her sister and blah blah blah. I couldn’t stand her. Then, around page….220 or so….she finally GOES ABOVE and the whining stops. For a bit. Sorry, I suppose I should have said spoiler alert.

I initially gave this a 3-star rating. Why on Earth? Because as much as I hated Rio, I wanted to find out how it ended. The world wasn’t spectacularly imagined. The characters weren’t particularly memorable (or likable). The conflict wasn’t very conflicting. In short, it had nothing whatsoever to make me recommend it to anyone. Now, writing this review and thinking about it, I’ve revised that rating to 2-stars, which I still sorta think is generous.

Ally Condie’s Matched series has been on my list for a while, but if the writing is anything like this, I think I’ll pass.

This is such a fun series. I wouldn’t call it a cozy mystery, though it’s not strictly a detective story either. Maybe somewhere in the middle? Sorta like the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum series, whatever you consider that. Megan Luz is a cop, and Brigit is her furry partner. This is book 2, and every bit as enjoyable as book 1. There’s not a whole lot to say about them, other than if you like dogs and you like detective stories, you’ll like this. There’s even a bit of romance thrown in. My favorite thing about this series is you get to read Megan’s perspective, but you also get to hear from Brigit and from the bad guy. It’s a neat way to write, and it works. There isn’t as much trying to figure it out, because you already know who the bad guy is, but it’s fun to watch Megan and Brigit go about it.

This is about a chef who gets a chance to run her own kitchen. I enjoyed learning a little more about the restaurant business, but the story itself wasn’t that gripping. In fact, two weeks after reading this I have very little to say about it. It was good, but nothing memorable. A quick read, and there was a dog, I remember that much.

I’m reviewing these two together because they’re part of the same series, and because my thoughts on them are pretty much the same. By now, I’ve read (and reviewed) probably 20 cozy mysteries on this blog….and most of them get a 3-star rating. These are no exception, but the more I think about it the more I think I need to revise my rating to a 4-star. I LOVE these books. First of all, the yoga theme is a nice change. It’s not a huge part of the story, really, but I’m really intrigued by the fate of the Sacred Balance studio. And the characters are so much fun. At first, A.J.’s mother drove me nuts (she’s a melodramatic movie star), but about halfway through the first book I realized she was kind of hilarious. A.J. is your average cozy character, and of course there’s the hot detective love interest, but I also really enjoy Andy’s storyline. The supporting characters are just as interesting as the main characters. Lastly, in both of these I was surprised by the killer….and that’s not usually the case. Definitely pick these up if you’re a cozy fan!

I actually didn’t get much reading done this month! I was trying to read several books at once, mostly nonfiction, and it took me a while. Needless to say, I’m ready for some fun stuff – not that these weren’t fun, but I need a brain break! Plus, I realized that it’s now past time for me to read the next book in the Outlander series…and I still haven’t finished book 3 of Game of Thrones. March may be “epic books month.” We’ll see.

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

I loved the first one. The second was good….but I didn’t love it quite as much. Izzy kinda got on my nerves this time and the story was a little too predictable. The rest of the characters are great, and I still love the setting. Plus, I can’t wait to try the enchilada recipe in the back. (Don’t worry, I’ll tell you how it goes if I ever get around to it.) The third book should be out sometime this summer, and I’ll definitely pick it up.

This was our February book club book. I’d never heard of Montaigne. Turns out he’s considered the father of the modern essay (not school essay, but personal essay). Bakewell’s book is a pseudo-biography that uses examples from his life and his writing (sorta) to answer the question, “How to live?”

Montaigne would have been a blogger, I think. He was all about looking inward and figuring out why he did the things he did. In a way, the book was a mix of philosophy and psychology with a good bit of history thrown in. I was expecting to read Montaigne’s writing – but other than short quotations, there isn’t any of it in here. I’ve got his Essays on my list for next month.

This is the kind of book that I think you really have to be willing to give a shot. It’s not an easy read, but it’s not terribly tough either. But, if you’re not at all interested in philosophical musings it’s probably going to put you to sleep. What I liked was that it made me think, and it made me curious.

That said, there was a lot…and I mean, a LOT….that I think could have been left out. At times, reading the history of the time periods was pretty interesting. Other times, I had no clue why it was being presented, because it made no difference to the “answer” Bakewell was presenting. I thought about half of the chapters made sense, but the other half felt like she was grasping at straws. I also think that I went into it expecting something different, and that probably messed me up a little. I was looking for more of a commentary on Montaigne’s writing, and this book wasn’t that. It was a biography, but that’s a little hard to remember with a title like “How to Live.”

This was a Blogging for Books book, and by rights, should have its own post. Meh.

I was really excited about this. I read Intuitive Eating last year, and this book seemed like it would be similar. Plus, Deepak Chopra is supposed to be THE GUY.

Honestly, I had to force myself to finish this. There were a few things that were valuable, but mostly, I just felt like I was being lectured. Like Chopra himself was standing over my shoulder berating me. He wants you to give up all the bad stuff (including alcohol and cheese and meat), and he wants you to love doing it. He wants you to pay attention because as soon as you do, you’ll realize you don’t like alcohol and cheese and meat. And he wants you to sit at the table with your family because if you don’t you have an unhealthy home life.

And then there was this line…”Self esteem allows you to look at chocolate cake and think, “I’m not doing that to myself.” EXCUSE ME? Since when is chocolate cake the devil? (In context, I think what he’s attempting to say is that if you feel good about yourself you can make a conscious choice about whether you truly want the cake or not, but the connotation is that chocolate cake is bad.)

I mean…ok. It’s not that I necessarily disagree with him on everything, but the whole thing was so black and white. Like, just do what I’m telling you and you’ll be happy. And thin. Because you can only be thin if you do these things.

I’m sure that’s not what Chopra intended (or maybe it is?) but I got really tired of his self-importance. I did enjoy the medical information – there are a lot of good explanations about how nutrition and your body works. Would I recommend this book to anyone? No. I especially would not recommend it to someone looking for “a solution to permanent weight loss.”

Wait, what?! A five-star??!! Have we even had any of these since I started doing these monthly reviews? (Yes. Two – Ready Player One and A Little Something Different.) They’re rare. Sometimes Jimmie tells me I’m too strict in my ratings. Sometimes I think he’s right, but then I come across a book like this and I think, nope. This is why I’m strict. Because if I gave every book I enjoyed a 5-star rating, then there’d be nothing that told you THIS IS AWESOME. Because they’d all be awesome. Anyway.

This book made its way onto my radar when our book club decided to read a National Book Award finalist (you may remember that book. Ugh.) I’d read a couple reviews of it, and finally got around to reading it. First of all, this book is 10 million times better than All The Light. And. Since it didn’t win, I can’t even imagine how good Phil Klay’s book is, so I’m going to have to read that to find out. Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic story – it’s a little hard to explain, so I’ll honestly just refer you to the description. I’d make a mess of explaining it.

I think this is the kind of book you either love or you hate. I was about a quarter of the way into it, thinking, meh, this is ok…not bad, but not really grabbing me either. But I was curious, so I kept going. It’s not a hard read, though I wouldn’t call it easy either. A little over halfway through, I was hit with the most visceral reaction. I had to stop reading. All I could think was….when did this book become so real? When did I start to feel like I was in the story, and when did it suck me in? Days after finishing, I still have no idea when it happened, but it did. All of a sudden, it was real and I was both terrified and horrified and knew I was going to have nightmares. Don’t get me wrong – this isn’t a horror story at all. But, it’s intense. If you’ve ever read The Road, it’s the same kind of feeling.

The more I read, the more beautiful the book became. I loved the ending – if you can even call it an ending. Most of the book you’re kinda scratching your head thinking, where is this going, and then you find out, but the story is left open. Not open like there’s going to be a sequel, but open like there’s any number of possibilities and the author wanted to let you choose. It’s one of those books that this ending works…I was so glad she didn’t feel the need to wrap it up nicely with a bow.

I couldn’t stop thinking about this book for days – and I woke up twice in the middle of the night with my heart racing and feeling like I’d been scared to death. Will I read this book again? No. Will I recommend it to everyone I know? No. Do I think it’s an excellent book that fans of this style of fiction should read? Absolutely.

This is the second book in the Spirit Animals series, about four kids who call “Spirit Animals” and then have to save the world. Basically. Each book is written by a different author, and it shows a little bit…I enjoyed Book 2 more than Book 1. That said, Maggie Stiefvater tends to get a little too “romantic” for my tastes, so I got kind of annoyed by the not-so-subtle flirtations going on between two of the characters. I kept thinking…this is for kids. Get that out of here.

Otherwise, though, I really enjoyed the book. Meilin is still a whiny brat, but she’s growing on me. Rollan is flippant, but we’re starting to see a little more depth. Conor is the classic hero, and Abeke is the underdog. It works.

There was a lot more action in this book, and the battle scenes were fairly well done. I love that the Spirit Animals play such a big role in the story – sometimes I like them more than the main characters.

Still enjoying this series! I didn’t like this one quite as much as #2, but I’m still definitely hooked on them. So far, it seems that each story sort of features one of the kids a little bit more than the others. This one was Meilin, and she’s just not my favorite. I do love Jhi though, her spirit animal.

One thing that kinda bugged me though – and that I hope doesn’t continue as the series progresses – is that there are characters in Book 2 that I really enjoyed. Some of them you sort of know what happens, why they aren’t in Book 3. But some of them, it’s like they never existed. I want to know what happens to them!!!! I realize the story isn’t about the extra characters, but still…give me a little more closure!!!

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after that review….. February’s book of the month is….

Holy January! I’ve got to say….if I can keep this pace up, I’ll have no trouble meeting my goal to read 100 books this year! True, I read a lot of short easy books, and I’d started one before January. Regardless. It’s still a lot of books!

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

I know, I posted a whole review of this book. But, I didn’t give you a rating. Here’s your rating. Go read the review. 🙂

I admit, I almost didn’t share this with you, because it’s a little embarrassing. Terrible title. I read The Dance of Anger a few years ago, and this one has been on my radar since. So I finally made time for it. I like Harriet Lerner because she’s accessible, and because she’s not a touchy-feely-bullshitter. There were some good points in the book that anyone in a relationship can learn from. And it’s short. And the lessons in here are good for anyone, whether you’re married, in a relationship, or just thinking about being in a relationship.

Our January book club book. I knew nothing about Amy Poehler, and was a little skeptical. I was afraid it’d be like that horrible Chelsea Handler book I read. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

I think the thing that got me was Amy is a genuinely good person. I’m not a huge fan of her comedy, and truthfully thought she was probably a bit of a jerk. But either she’s not, or she’s a really good faker. I kid. There’s no way you can read this book and not see that she’s someone who cares about the people and world around her.

And she’s real. She’s humble, she’s proud, and she’s not afraid to admit she screws up. Her book is full of things she’s learned the hard way, of little nuggets of advice. There are a lot of profound moments in there too – and messages all of us could stand to read (and take to heart).

Her style is all over the place, which was fine with me but no doubt will bother a lot of people. It feels a little more like talking to a friend than reading a memoir, and for that reason I wish I’d listened to the audio book instead. Amy herself is the reader, so I bet it’s fun.

I know, I know. This is a classic, and on all of the “best books” lists. I have no clue why. Maybe I’m too old for it. Maybe I’m too impatient for it. But seriously. ..where was the plot? It read like a diary, and not a particularly interesting one. By the second half I was reading only the first sentence of each paragraph, and don’t feel that I missed anything. I’m sure someone will think that’s blasphemous and I do apologize, but this book just wasn’t for me.

I want more of this series! I love the characters, and Morrigan has fantastic pacing. I got a little annoyed with Grace this time around, because of all the whining about not sharing her power with other people, but otherwise, another great book. Plus, it was neat to read a mystery that didn’t involve a murder. This is a missing persons case. If you like animals and cozy mysteries, definitely give this series a try.

I’m a sucker for a good kids series, and this has a lot of potential. The writing isn’t great in this one, but it’s tolerable. Each book in the series is written by a different author, so it’ll be interesting to see how the style changes. Basically, there are four kids with “spirit animals” and they’re trying to save the world. What’s not to love???

I picked this up because of the cover and because the cats are supposed to be magical. I suppose they were, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have larger roles! I was also a little put off by the main character. ..she was the head librarian but from what I could tell, actually didn’t do anything. I didn’t have much sympathy for her. This was cute but nothing special, and there are better cozies out there.

Yet another cozy. This one was a bit different in that the main character really wasnt a very good sleuth. In fact, she was pretty bad. And she drove me nuts with her constant mooning over her ex. All that aside though, I enjoyed the story. I loved the vintage kitchen aspect, and I loved meeting all the characters. I thought Hamilton did a great job bringing the town to life and making me feel like I was in the story. I’ll keep reading the series, for sure.

This was too cute! Loved the focus on the pet boutique. The murder itself was a little boring, and the book was carried by the supporting characters just as much as the main character. In fact, I forgot her name half the time. A decent first book in a series, and enough to make me want to keep going.

I had mixed feelings about this book. At times, I loved it. At times, I hated it. Ezra was…..ugh. Exhausting. Cassidy reminded me too much of a girl I couldn’t stand in high school. On one hand, this book was too dramatically tragic. On the other, it was a pretty accurate portrayal of how teenagers think everything is a tragedy. Not to say there weren’t some serious bad things in here. But mostly, Ezra just waffled around and couldn’t decide who he was. (I mean, in high school, who can?) It wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t a great one either.

This month was kinda tough, actually. I read a lot, but there really wasn’t a clear winner. I guess I’ll go with

Another month down, another set of books! December has typically been the month that I read a lot of long stuff – mostly because I always end up having to take vacation time around Christmas, or risk losing it. This year, it seems that December is all about fluff reads. I love my fluff reads, but I harbor no illusions that I’m reading “quality” fiction. I’m perfectly fine with that – fluff reads are kind of essential, because what better way to escape for a while?

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

I’m a little torn in my ratings of these books. I don’t think they’re 4-stars, but I do enjoy them, and sort of feel like 3 isn’t quite enough. Sigh. Anyway! After reading the first book, Jimmie convinced me to watch the TV show….I’d been avoiding it because once upon a time I happened to see the breastfeeding scene and the whole thing really turned me off. Shrug. When I finished the first book though, I was convinced that that was a very minor part, so gave it another shot. I’m glad I did, because I really enjoy the show, and it convinced me to keep reading the series.

There were parts of Clash of Kings that I liked better than Game of Thrones, and parts I didn’t. I do think that the TV show complements the books really well – Martin isn’t a great action writer (in my opinion), so a lot of the battle scenes are somewhat dull in the books. The show gives those life. On the flip side, he’s an excellent character writer, and out of necessity there are a lot of nuances that get left out of the show. I think you could easily take one without the other, but why would you?

And in case you’re wondering, yeah, these are tough. They take a while to read, but they’re enjoyable. I do need a break between them, though!

I adored this book. Absolutely adored it. I read it in one sitting, in about 2 hours. It’s a little hard to find – you pretty much have to order it online – but absolutely worth the trouble. The premise is that Gabe and Lea are two college kids, and everyone in their lives thinks they need to date because they have incredible chemistry. The story is told entirely from the point of view of other characters – you never hear directly from Lea and Gabe.

At first, I was a little worried it was going to be annoying, because the first several chapters are pretty much the same thing. So and so sees Gabe and Lea and thinks they’d be perfect together. After about 20-30 pages, though, the book totally sucked me in. 100%. (Actually, I think it was around the time that I read the squirrel’s first chapter….yes, one of the POV is that of a squirrel. It works. Trust me.)

The story is adorable, the characters are likeable enough, and the writing technique is unique enough to keep you hooked. Plus, I finally learned what it means to “ship them”…..when you want two people to be in a relationship. I’d heard it before but never bothered to look it up. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff?

I loved it, but I also think this is a great teen book if you’ve got any young readers in your life!

I saw this in the bookstore, and immediately snatched it up – this is the first in a cozy mystery series ALL ABOUT DOGS. Winner. I really enjoyed the characters, and the communication between Ellie and the dogs. The one thing that did drive me nuts though was Ellie’s insistence on not telling anyone about her ability! A good cozy mystery, and I’ll definitely continue the series.

I decided to group these together, because they’re the first 3 books of the Lucky Harbor series, and because I read them all back to back, and because the things I have to say about them are pretty much the same.

I read Jill Shalvis’ Animal Magnetism series a couple months ago, and really liked them, but by the third book I felt they were all pretty much the same. Because of that, I was a little hesitant to read the Lucky Harbor series, even though I like her writing style. I realize that makes no sense. I get that authors use formulas, and when they find something that works they stick with it. And to a point that’s fine, but it can be a very fine line between formula and same damn story with different character names (Cassandra Clare, anyone?). The Animal Magnetism series stepped just over the line into same damn story, and it sucked.

With this series, Shalvis has done a great job keeping on the good side of that line. The three female characters are sisters, and yeah, each of them has reasons why she isn’t interested in a relationship. The men also share some similarities, but they’re different enough that it works. I also like the fact that Shalvis keeps her characters around – so you still get to hear about the characters you fell in love with from the first book, and so on.

If you’re looking for feel-good romances, these are definitely what you’re looking for. I’m interested to see what the next book is like, since it’s not following the sisters anymore!

This is the second Lucy Dillon book I’ve read. I’ve wanted to love both of them, but the first one fell short, and this one was even worse. It follows Michelle and Anna as they open a bookstore. Michelle is a bitch and has issues with everyone – men, women, children, dogs. Anna is a complete idiot who thinks it’s perfectly fine to stop taking her birth control because she and her husband agreed four years ago that they’d start trying to have a baby on their fourth anniversary. Honestly, the best part of the book was Pongo the Dalmation. I kept reading because I was on a plane, but I don’t know that I’ll pick up another one of hers again.

I went back and forth on this one. At times, I felt it was worth 3 stars. Other times, I was leaning towards 2. This is one of those rare books that actually would have benefited from half stars, but oh well. I’m not even sure what to call this. Romance, I suppose, though nothing like the other romances on this list. It had moments of greatness. There were passages every so often, where it seemed like Carlino just randomly became a great writer. There were thought-provoking comments on life and love and growing up. And then there was the rest of it.

Ava was annoying at the very least. She struck me as a little too….pathetic? I never understood Nate’s attraction to her, or his desire to take care of her. She fell apart all the time, and she had some major misplaced guilt issues. As for Nate, I actually didn’t mind him – though I had to keep reminding myself that he was 29, and not 19. What bugged me most about him was how he was all wonderful and caring and then all of a sudden he’d get horny and couldn’t seem to say anything other than “I want you.” Complete 180. After the third time, I stopped caring whether the two of them ever got together. Worth a read? Maybe? There are certainly better things out there….

Another month down, another set of books! I didn’t think I’d read as many this month as I did in October, but it looks like I came pretty close. If you’re new here, here’s how the ratings work.

I use the Goodreads rating scale of 1-5 stars. I know sometimes it’s hard to stick to only 5 options…lots of times we want half stars!! But, half stars make things messy. My ratings tend to be on the somewhat conservative side, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that a 3 star rating doesn’t mean a book is bad. Generally, I choose books that I expect to enjoy (don’t we all?). If I do enjoy them, then they’ve met my expectations…so I give them a 3. Anything lower than 3 didn’t live up to my expectations, and anything above 3 exceeded them. I’m generally not looking for certain writing styles or plot lines or technical aspects. If something stands out (for good or bad), I’ll comment on it, but in general technical aspects won’t be the sole influencer on my rating.

Any questions on my ratings? If so, just ask, and I’ll try to clarify!

And now, on to the books!!!

This is another one of those “give me a medal for finishing” books because it’s quite the commitment. It had been on my list for a while – Jimmie read it, and he watches the show, and I figured I might as well see what all the hype was about. Friends, if anyone can tell me what the hype is about, please do. I mean, I liked this….but it wasn’t anything special. It kept my interest, but frankly, it was hard to follow for about 400 of the 800+ pages. If I hadn’t had Jimmie to talk to about it, to clarify things that confused me, I don’t know that I would have finished it. I’ll probably read at least the second book though, because I do want to know what happens to a few of the characters.

This book. THIS.BOOK. Ugh. I can’t even.

Ok, so seriously. This was our November/December book club book. I had the bright idea that we should read a National Book Award finalist. So we picked this one. For the life of me I can’t figure out why it has such a high rating on Goodreads (it’s like 4.2!!!!). It took me WEEKS to read this book. I had to stop and read fluff in the middle of it. It was so bad that we pushed our book club back 2 weeks so everyone could finish. Normally, 500 pages would take me roughly a week of reading easily, not rushing. Ugh. Even with moving the meeting, this one should go on the abandoned shelf. I didn’t finish it, though I got 65% of the way through….reading literally 15-20 pages a day for weeks because that was all I could handle. I tried. I really, really tried. So I’m counting it as read.

I have to say, I’m glad it didn’t win.

It had been a while since I’d read a cozy mystery, and I kind of got on a kick for them. I was also struggling to get through the book club book, and needed something light. Woof At the Door was perfect! I love cozy mysteries because they’re lighthearted, fun, and you pretty much know what to expect. This one was even better than I expected. The characters were likeable, and I loved the animals! The basic premise is Grace is able to telepathically communicate with animals. A Doberman witnesses a murder, so of course Grace has to play sleuth. A fun story, and I’m excited to read the next book in the series!

Like I said, on a kick. It took me about 6 hours to read this, and only because I took a break in between. Mel owns a cupcake bakery. When her best friend’s fiance dies with one of Mel’s cupcakes in her hand, Mel becomes a suspect. Obviously she’s innocent, so she has to find the real killer. Food+murder+slightly annoying female sleuth = classic cozy mystery. I loved all the cupcake mentions in this one – and the recipes at the end! Not a bad cozy, but not a stellar one either. Honestly, Mel and her friend Angie are pretty irritating at times. In truth, this one probably should have been a 2.5, but since I don’t do halfs…3 it is.

I read this because I really wanted to read the second one – Passion and Ponies. Isn’t that an amazing title? But I’m one of those people who refuses to read out of order….ever since reading that horrendous 2nd Twilight book. Shudder. I’m still not over that. Anyway. Love and Lists was actually really cute. Not as funny as the description makes it sound, but it was still amusing. And it was a quick read. Cheesy predictable love story, what more can you ask for?

I started this in September, but because it was my “lunch break” book, it took me a while. The first thing I have to say is that if you’re at all squeamish, stay away from it. Right off the bat you’re confronted with a rather…heavy….relationship between Hannah (who’s in her 30s) and Michael (who’s 15). Frankly, it’s messed up, but that’s the whole point. As the book progresses, it becomes a novel about two people in Nazi Germany, and the aftermath.

Based on the way this got started, I wasn’t sure what I’d think of the rest of the story. However, as I read it, I came to appreciate it. The book is beautifully written, and has a lot of great talking points in it. I think it’d be great for a book club, especially since it’s a short read. This isn’t a light read by any means, but definitely one I’m glad I read.

I’ll be honest here. I knew nothing about Chelsea Handler (still don’t), had never heard/seen her stand-up, and really didn’t have a clue what this book was about. I read it because the title mentions vodka. And I like vodka.

Not a good reason to read a book.

Maybe I’m in a funk, maybe I’m grumpy, but I did not find Chelsea Handler the slightest bit funny. I found her arrogant, annoying, and just plain offensive. And not in the “wow I can’t believe she said that but it’s really funny” kind of offensive way. I gave up after 80%, which normally would feel like quitting, but honestly felt like a win.

This month was easy. Unfortunately. I read some duds – it’s been a while since I’ve had a couple really bad books in a short period of time! Game of Thrones was good, but in the end, there was a clear winner:

I like book posts, don’t you? Books are so wonderful….they give us a way to escape.

Books let us travel all over the world, and to worlds that we only wish existed. They introduce us to people (both real and imagined) that we’d never know otherwise. Friends we never know we needed. And men we’d never actually date, but would love to.

Sometimes, books make us think. They touch a place deep within us, and make us question our own experiences, motives, beliefs, and behaviors.

Sometimes, books make us laugh. Sometimes they make us cry. Sometimes both. Sometimes they are so wonderful that we just can’t stand the fact that they aren’t real. (Good stories are incredible, aren’t they?)

And then there are the books we read just because we want something brainless, mind numbing, that we don’t have to think about, that makes us feel good. (I call these romance novels, crime thrillers, and anything about dogs.)

I can’t stand it when people tell me they don’t have time, or they just don’t like reading. Yes, you do have time, and you just haven’t found the right book yet. Take 10 minutes before bed and read. If every night is too much, try every other night. Or once a week. Keep a book in your car and read on your lunch break. Put books on your phone (use the Moon+Reader app for Android, it’s free and awesome…or iBooks for iPhone) and read in the bathroom at work. It’s kinda like exercising…just make the time for it.

Stepping down from my soap box now.

So because I love books, and I think you should love books, and because I set a book goal this year (75 books, which I’m well on track to hit) and all sorts of other reasons, I’m going to start a new monthly post on what I’ve read. Good, bad, and ugly, you’ll get the inside track to my lit library. (Blogging for Books reviews will continue to be separate.) And each month, I’ll crown a book of the month. Fun, right? You’ll get the first one in November!

Until then, Happy Reading!!

By the way, thank you so much for the input on my new tagline!! You’ll see the changes soon!!

Like this:

Hi, I’m Casey!

I’m a thirty-something book junkie who loves to travel. I read anything and everything, and I’m always thrilled when someone loves my book recommendations. I’m working on building a life that lets me travel regularly, but for now, most of my adventures come from books!

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